by Kazeem Olalekan

The discovery of blister packs of Seroquel XL (manufactured by AstraZeneca) and Neurontin 100mg capsules (manufactured by Pfizer) in Reckitt Benckiser’s Nurofen Plus OTC tablets is odder than odd (1)! As far as I can tell, these were not even manufactured in the same factory. Or arewere they? Reckitt Benckiser’s suspicion of foul play(2) is reasonable on face value but detailed investigation is necessary to understand the source of this debacle.

The decision by Reckitt Benckiser to voluntarily withdraw all stocks of Nurofen Plus from sales is an important move in spite of the financial consequences for the company. A Class 1 Drug Alert issued by MHRA means that all existing stocks will be withdrawn whilst the problem is investigated(3,4). It is the right thing to do.

If I was to indulge the sabotage argument for one moment, then it beggars belief why anyone will go to such an extent to risk the safety of patients in order to make a point.

credo quia absurdum est

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